


Making Up (For Lost Time)

by idoltina



Series: Nightminds: Children of Darkness [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Siblings, Aunts & Uncles, Babies, Gen, Implied Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan, Parents Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Robin Hood, Protective Siblings, Universe Alteration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-08-11 22:13:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7909576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idoltina/pseuds/idoltina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt fill for <b>hooked queen + eyeliner</b>. After her daughter is born, Regina longs to fall back into routine in an effort to regain some sense of normalcy. With Robin running late, however, her return to the political scene may be postponed, but a visit from her brother shifts her priorities.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>May 28, 2014</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making Up (For Lost Time)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InitialA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InitialA/gifts), [aspiringtoeloquence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aspiringtoeloquence/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Wildfire](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3461915) by [idoltina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idoltina/pseuds/idoltina). 



Regina is exhausted.

She slept five hours last night -- consecutively, even, which is a miracle in and of itself. She showered this morning. She had time to eat a full breakfast. She even had time to pull together a work-suitable outfit before heading into the office this morning. But she’d barely had time to say goodbye to the boys before they’d left for school, she’d missed her goodbye kiss with Robin, she’d nearly forgotten some of the essentials for Liara’s diaper bag, and she hadn’t had any time to put makeup on before leaving the house. (There’s also the small matter of not being intimate with Robin since before Liara was born, but that’s more of an undercurrent of an issue rather than one of the more pressing ones today.) And now -- now she’s stuck in her office with a bare face, a fussy baby, an unforgiving clock, and a fiance who is absolutely way too late for picking up their daughter.

But her daughter comes _first_ \-- before her own vanity, before a city council meeting, before anything else -- and it doesn’t matter that Regina is exhausted. For now, all she can do is sit here and nurse her daughter while they wait for Robin in the hopes that being fed will calm Liara down. It’s then -- at half past the hour with a nursing cover slung over her chest and her daughter suckling eagerly at her breast -- that the office door swings open, but it’s not Robin.

“Killian,” Regina greets, arching an eyebrow at him as he closes the door behind him.

“Regina,” he acknowledges, crossing the room toward her desk. “I’ve been sent by your fiance with apologies for running late.”

Regina leans back in her chair, trying not to wince as Liara adjusts her mouth and sucks a little harder. “Did he say how long he’d be?”

“I don’t think he was that far behind me,” Killian offers. “Fifteen, twenty minutes, perhaps.”

She sighs and glances at the clock on the wall, worrying her lip between her teeth. She’s running out of time if she’s going to make it to the city council meeting. And logically, she knows she doesn’t really _have_ to go. She’s pushing herself to get back into the swing of things as soon as she possibly can, she knows this. Robin’s been rather vocal about his displeasure with it, as has Mary Margaret, but settling back into her role as a public servant -- as a leader -- is something Regina knows will make her feel comfortable in her own skin. And after everything that’s happened in the last few months ( _in the last forever, really,_ her mind supplies), Regina could really stand a sense of normalcy in her life.

She turns her gaze back onto Killian and gives him a once over, debating. “Twenty minutes tops?”

“Aye,” he affirms, cocking an eyebrow at her, “although you and I both know that punctuality is not that man’s strong suit.”

“No,” Regina sighs in agreement, “it’s not.” She diverts her attention back to her daughter for a moment as she slips her bra and top back on and maneuvers Liara out from under the nursing cover. Gingerly, she cradles her daughter against her and begins rubbing at her back, waiting a moment or two before trying to coerce burps out of her.

It’s Killian’s turn to glance at the clock on the wall, now, brow knit when he looks back at her. “Don’t you have a meeting to go to today?”

“I did,” she says, gently patting at Liara’s back. “But I haven’t put any makeup on today, and Liara still needs to be looked after for at least a little while longer before she’ll even consider going back to sleep since I just fed her. If Robin’s running late, I think I’ll just… have to postpone my return until the next meeting.” She just barely bites back a frustrated sigh, not wanting to let the feeling fester and twist and morph into anger at Robin. Missing this meeting isn’t the end of the world. Robin might have a good reason for running late. And Liara -- well, Liara needs her right now, and nothing else really matters.

Regina softens into a smile and presses a kiss to her daughter’s temple, grin growing when she feels a small wave of magic radiate between them.

She’s startled back into attention when Killian speaks again. “You know I can look after the lass for a few minutes until Robin gets here?”

Regina blinks back up at him, a little caught off guard. “Since when are you an experienced babysitter?”

“I’ve looked after a child more than once in my life, Regina,” he drawls, clearly a little annoyed.

“Teenagers,” she argues. “Completely different from a newborn.”

“I think I can manage for a half hour,” he says. “I don’t imagine she can get into much trouble in such a short time, especially if she can’t run away from me.” Regina shifts uncomfortably in her chair, the idea not quite settling with her, but Liara starts to fuss in her arms again before she has a chance to speak or protest. “Give her here,” Killian offers, moving around the desk toward her. “I can at least watch her while you put your face on. If Robin doesn’t turn up in fifteen minutes, then you can stay. But if he does, at least you’ll be ready to leave for the meeting.”

With every second she sits here breathing, there’s a warning bell pinging her in head in answer -- _you’ve been down this road more than once before, you know how this ends_ \-- but each one is drowned out by the sound of her daughter’s voice as she whines and hiccups in Regina’s arms, squirming uncomfortably. Getting Liara to settle is going to be a challenge right now, Regina can tell by the way the magical energy shifts between them, and she wonders, for a moment, if breaking that connection might give them both enough of a break to regroup and settle. Regina shushes her gently, murmuring soothingly into her ear before turning her attention back to Killian. “Go sit on the couch,” she instructs, pushing her chair away from her desk so she can stand up. “I’ll bring her to you.”

He obliges without comment or protest and sinks down on the couch with ease, situating himself comfortably as she follows him across the room, her heels clacking quietly against the floor. His arms are already outstretched when she reaches him, fingers curled in beckoning for the baby, and for the first time in a very, very long time, Regina sees a light in Killian’s eyes that she thought had died long ago. He _wants_ this, is excited at the prospect of helping her -- or at the very least, at getting the opportunity to spend a little time with his niece -- and it pulls at Regina’s heartstrings in a way that it hasn’t since she was fifteen. It’s enough to quiet some of the chatter in her head, enough to get her to lean down to meet him halfway before passing Liara off to him, but she stops short when a glint of silver catches the light.

It’s barely a few seconds, her eyeing his hook in apprehension, but it’s enough for him to notice, enough for him to _understand_ , and he’s twisting off the sharp, curved extension and setting it on top of the coffee table. “C’mon,” he urges, beckoning with his hand again. “Give her here.” But for all that his voice is surprisingly gentle, she knows that her discomfort and wariness has left more of an impact than she’d like. She can see it in the way he works his jaw ever so slightly, can see it in the way the light dims in his eyes.

Her heart twists painfully in her chest, ache bleeding out of her skin before she can even really try to stop it, and Liara reacts in kind, hiccups turning into soft cries. Ashamed and more than a little disappointed in herself, Regina swallows around her ache and leans in the rest of the way, determined to see this through in the hopes that something good will come of it. “Lean back against the couch,” she instructs, shifting Liara gently into the crook of his left arm so she can rest against his chest. “Use your arm to support her bottom -- like that -- and then your… hand to pat her back so she can --”

“I know how to burp a baby, Regina,” he quips, leveling her with a _look_ as he pats Liara’s back gently. And as if on cue, Liara finally lets out a rather impressive sounding burp, cries tapering off into soft fussing noises. Killian’s lips twist into a smirk, a very clear non verbal _I told you so_ , and Regina doesn’t bother refraining from rolling her eyes before removing the nursing cover and leaving him to it.

The atmosphere in the room is decidedly less tense, after that, the magnitude of Liara’s magic not quite as strong now that Killian’s murmuring affectionately at her and she’s distanced from Regina’s turmoil. Regina uses it to her advantage to recenter herself. It’s not enough to anchor her -- not on her own, not yet -- but it’s enough for her to call upon the tools Archie’s given her in the last five months or so, ones she’s more prone to using to help control her anger. The things she’s feeling now -- frustration and disappointment and shame -- are different, but they come from the same place, from fear, and she thinks she can learn to combat them in the same ways. So she focuses on the steady rhythm of her breathing in order to keep her hands from shaking, doesn’t look directly into her own eyes in the reflection of her mirror as she makes quick work of applying her makeup. The bare minimum will have to be enough, today, and anything more isn’t strictly necessary, anyway.

She’s not quite halfway done, though, barely finished with applying her eyeliner, when she glances over in the direction of the couch and does a doubletake at the sight that greets her. Killian’s shifted in the last few moments, reclining comfortably against the arm of the couch with his knees bent and Liara resting against his thighs. Regina’s not sure if it’s more or less precarious than the position she’d left them in, but she can see the way his hand hovers carefully near Liara, ready to catch her should she squirm or jostle or fall. Liara hasn’t fallen asleep yet, but she looks like she’s well on her way there, eyes drooping even as she pays rapt attention to Killian’s soft cooing and silly faces.

Somewhere in her, Regina’s heart cracks and bleeds open, and for the first in what feels like a very long time (it’s not, it hasn’t been, he was like this in March), she thinks she finally sees her _brother_.

Tears sting furiously at her eyes, threatening to undo all of her hard work, and she has to inhale sharply and squeeze her eyes shut for a moment in order to keep them at bay. She is beyond done with how disgustingly weepy hormones have made her in the last ten months, but she knows full well that they’re only partially to blame this time around. The memory of his departure is as fresh in her mind as if it was yesterday ( _”You’re supposed to be my sister, you’re supposed to stick up for me, you’re --_ ), mixed and muddled with marks of betrayal ( _”You left me there to die!” -- “You left me first!”_ ). It’s a painful surge of guilt and longing, one she’s sure would make sparks manifest in her hands if she were still pregnant with Liara, but Liara’s magic is her own, now, and all Regina has left is her ache.

_No._

She swallows hard and opens her eyes, softening a little at the sight of the pair of them again. This -- this is something they can do right, something they have a second chance at, and Regina is through with running away. So she sets the rest of her makeup aside and crosses the office again, kneeling down next to the couch and brushing her fingertips across the back of Liara’s hand in calming reassurance. It works; Liara’s eyes finally slip shut at Regina’s touch, the rise and fall of her chest as steady as a beating heart. Regina smiles as Liara’s hand grips her finger tight, and loathe to pull away, she settles down more comfortably on the floor and leans against the side of the couch, head resting on Killian’s arm. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs quietly after a few moments, not wanting to risk waking her daughter. “About earlier -- about your hook.”

He’s quiet for a long moment, thumb caressing Liara’s kneecap before he offers up a reply. “I don’t blame you,” he says finally. “I’ve used it as a weapon before. It’s -- it can be dangerous, especially around a babe.”

Regina nods, just barely, not wanting to press the issue any further. “Thank you,” she offers up instead, “for -- for being here. Sometimes I still forget that’s what families are for.”

A beat, and then she can feel him shifting, knows he’s looking down at her, but she doesn’t move, doesn’t look up at him at all. “Thank you for letting me,” he says quietly. “We haven’t exactly had many opportunities for it.”

“Life kind of got in the way,” Regina sighs, corner of her mouth twitching up into a bemused smile, “Magic, manipulation, murder, monsters -- that sort of thing.”

“Not to mention Mother,” Killian mutters.

“Yes, well, she was only partially to blame,” Regina points out, gently pulling her finger out of her daughter’s grasp so her shift in mood doesn’t wake Liara up. “Mother may have come between us, but we’ve made plenty of mistakes on our own, haven’t we?”

“Ten lifetimes worth,” he agrees, moving his hand to rub the sole of Liara’s foot with his thumb. “The children shouldn’t bear the brunt of that.”

“No,” she says faintly, trying desperately not to think of Henry because she _knows_ she’ll wake Liara if she does. “They shouldn’t.”

Killian catches on much too quickly for Regina’s liking, nudging her with his arm to get her to look at him. “Hey,” he says, gentle but firm, “you’re a _good_ mother, Regina. Liara and the boys -- you put them first. You give them space to be themselves. That’s more than our mother did for either of us -- for any of us.”

There’s a pang in Regina’s chest at that -- one that reminds her that for all that she’s spent most of her life trying very hard _not_ to end up like their mother, she ended up like Cora in so many ways. Liara snuffles and squirms in Killian’s lap; she _knows_ , she always knows, she’s so goddamn sensitive to Regina’s moods and energies all of the time. But now -- now is not the time to let herself be burdened by guilt and ghosts, by Mother and mirrors and memories long gone, so Regina forces a smile and rests her chin on Killian’s arm, eyes shifting briefly back to her slumbering daughter. “You’re not so bad with them yourself,” she allows. “Liara seems pretty taken with you. When did you get so good with babies?”

“I’ve spent a fair amount of time with David’s son in the last year,” Killian reminds her, chuckling lowly. “Emma’s been saddled with babysitting just as often as you and Belle have. Learning the ropes comes with the territory.”

Regina bites back a genuine, mischievous smile at the memory of her conversation with Emma last fall and resolutely keeps her gaze trained on her daughter. “Good practice?” she ventures, trying valiantly not to laugh.

She can feel him tense under her chin, knows she’s caught him off guard, but she doesn’t press or push. He’s usually pretty good about opening up to her if she gives him space to do it, so she waits him out, knows if he’s keeping any secrets or holding onto confessions, he might be more comfortable sharing them with her than anyone else. Well, except for Emma, maybe.

God, Regina has missed her brother.

“Perhaps,” he says eventually, body relaxing a little as he exhales slowly. “I’d prefer not to have that conversation with you before I’ve had it with Emma.”

She does turn her head to look at him at that, eyebrows arched incredulously. “How have you not had that conversation yet? You’ve been together over a year.”

“Yes, well, it’s been rather a busy year, hasn’t it?” he snaps back, careful to keep his voice low. “Between the Snow Queen and the dragon and the whole first half of this year where we were all a bit preoccupied with the fact that someone was trying to kill you, we haven’t exactly had the time, now, have we?”

“Aren’t you the one who’s usually saying you have to _make_ time?” Regina ventures, nose wrinkling at the memory of Emma oversharing at New Year’s.

“Aren’t you being a bit hypocritical?” he counters, clearly deflecting. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t exactly have this conversation with Robin before you turned up pregnant last year.”

Regina lifts her head from his arm, unable to help the indignant gasp that escapes her mouth. “You’re _insufferable_.”

Killian grins and leans in a little closer, hand shifting to keep Liara from jostling in place. “I’m your little brother,” he reminds her. “I’m supposed to be.”


End file.
